The Guest House Hauntings Boxset by Hazel Holmes (novel books to read txt) 📕

it so much, and I feel like I’m learning a lot from you. You do let me have input on the dishes which is great, plus I’ve been able to see a bit of the process of what it’s like to open a business like this.

“I still intend to get a bed and breakfast of my own someday, or maybe I’ll even just open up a restaurant or café. Either way, getting this experience and saving up money will help me so when I do own my own business, I’ll have a great chance of success. I appreciate the opportunity. I’m genuinely glad to be here.”

That was the justification Ezra had formed in his mind, so it was nice to hear Nathaniel say it out loud. It made sense to Ezra, and he liked being a kind of mentor towards someone whose passions matched his own.

He was reassured once again that hiring Nathaniel was a good choice. Despite other people’s misgivings, Nathaniel was a good kid. Sure, this was a little strange, but it wasn’t unfathomable. Other people simply didn’t understand like Ezra did.

“Well, I appreciate having you here,” Ezra said. “You’ve been a great asset so far, and I know you’ll get to where you want to be in life. I see a lot of potential in you.”

“That means a lot coming from you,” Nathaniel replied, with that goofy smile of his.

Ezra smiled back. “Now finish up your ice cream,” he replied. “It’s time to get to work.”

31

Arsenic. That was the silent weapon used to kill Olivia and Kyle. Clara was expecting something quicker, more impulsive. When she heard Richard and Lyla had killed their children, she thought it had to be a fit of rage. Especially since Brittany thought ghosts had moved them to do it.

But poison… That’s something that took thought, careful planning. Clara had never heard of ghosts poisoning people. Poison was a distinctly human way of killing. She didn’t understand how the two cases were connected at all. Why did Brittany think William or Maggie’s ghosts would want to influence Richard and Lyla to poison their children?

She didn’t think it fit, but she could understand why people might find the need to explain this tragic occurrence, even if that meant straying away from the evidence presented. She empathized with why Brittany would search for any possible reason Richard and Lyla weren’t truly behind this. Even though Clara didn’t know them, she was even caught off guard by it. She imagined the shock would be magnified within someone who was close to the family. Though killers often don’t appear to be killers until they’re caught, this couple was especially surprising.

From all accounts, they were loving parents who didn’t fight much amongst themselves and were well loved by the community. Of course, if Richard and Lyla had been victims themselves, Clara would’ve expected this kind of recollection of those who knew them. People were usually fonder of others once they’re dead. All the bad things were forgotten.

However, these good sentiments remained even after most people believed Richard and Lyla killed their children. Everyone was shocked it happened and no one really had anything bad to say about them, even when pressed for this information.

Since it was so odd, Clara decided to dig a little deeper into what evidence the police had that Richard and Lyla had poisoned their children, aside from the fact that both the adults were now missing as well.

The autopsy that had been conducted suggested the children were poisoned over a short period of time. They weren’t given the full dose all at once, they hadn’t dropped dead dramatically after a single meal. Rather, they were given large enough doses over an estimated week or so, that led to the children getting sick.

This fell in line with what the other people in the family’s life told the officers when they were questioned. It was known that Kyle and Olivia were sick for a short period of time before their deaths, though everyone assumed it was the flu. Both sets of grandparents stated that their children told them Kyle and Olivia were sicker than they’d ever been, but that it was just a particularly bad case of the flu. Though they were worried, it wasn’t urgent enough to take them to the emergency room. They said they’d bring them to the doctor if the symptoms didn’t let up soon.

The interesting thing about that was neither Lyla nor Richard ever mentioned being sick at all. They worried they were going to get sick, as often parents did when their children were ill, but they never showed any symptoms, nor did they say they were experiencing any. The illness stayed contained to Kyle and Olivia, which was just another factor pointing to their guilt.

The officers searched the house of course and found a hidden stash of arsenic in the back of one of the cupboards. After a thorough investigation, they confirmed that the only people who had cooked for the children that week were Lyla, Richard, and Billy, as Kyle and Olivia had been kept home from school as soon as they started feeling ill.

They questioned Billy, but since Lyla and Richard were missing, the arsenic was found in their house, and they didn’t get sick like their children did, the blame fell to them. The police were still looking for them, and there had been a hearty search following the murders. But so far, nothing had turned up. They didn’t have a lot of leads to go by anyway and their department wasn’t very big or well-funded, as they weren’t used to dealing with such crimes.

The prospects of finding Lyla and Richard seemed slim. The town had thoroughly turned against them, but it appeared they’d likely get away with it. And now Billy was dead, the property had been sold, and people were trying to move on while whispering about the ghosts that must’ve caused something so traumatic to happen.

Clara sat back and looked